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Australia needs to expand the game in areas of the world that haven't experienced high quality rugby league

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Written ByAndrew Ferguson

This week Australia announced its plans for all international
fixtures and competitions from 2019 onwards. It’s been met with
mixed reception. People are on one hand excited about the fact
Australia is finally showing an interest in international football,
but on the other hand, feeling a bit empty over the scope of the
announced plan.

In 1908, Rugby League had expanded from England to New Zealand
and Australia. In the first decade, bearing in mind there was World
War I, Australia played six tests against New Zealand and 11
against Great Britain.

The next decade saw Australia and New Zealand hit by the Spanish
Influenza as World War I came to an end, while the end of the
decade was the beginning of the depression. Australia played just
13 tests, four against the Kiwis and nine against Great
Britain.

The 1928-37 period saw Australia play just five Tests against
New Zealand, but a whopping 19 against Great Britain. The following
decade though was dominated by World War II and the Vichy
Government’s decision to delete Rugby League in France. Australia
played just two Tests against France and three Tests against Great
Britain, all taking place on the Kangaroos 1937-38 Tour.

The international game exploded after World War II. France
undeleted themselves and all but created the World Cup, become
arguably the best international team in the game. From 1948-57
Australia played 48 Tests, 15 against New Zealand, 16 against
France and 17 against Great Britain.

This boom continued into the next decade as the Kangaroos played
in 50 Tests; 14 v the Kiwis, 15 v France, 19 v Great Britain and
two against South Africa. Australia also played two exhibition
games against Italy while on their 1963-64 tour.

The 1968-77 period was dominated by World Cups and sadly, the
decline in the quality of the French Rugby League team. Australia
played 41 Tests, 24 of which were during World Cups. They met Great
Britain 16 times, New Zealand 11, France 10, England two and Wales
two times.

1978-87 was the beginning of Australia’s dominance over the
international rugby league world. They played 41 Tests in the
decade, split largely between two nations; Great Britain (15) and
New Zealand (16) while they played France eight times and twice
against newcomers to Test football, Papua New Guinea.

From 1988-97 saw the game in England and then Australia and New
Zealand deal with the fall out of Super League. However
international football didn’t suffer a drop-off, as Australia
played 41 Tests for their third straight decade running; 15 against
New Zealand, 13 against Great Britain, five vs France, four against
Papua New Guinea, two against England and one each against Fiji and
South Africa.

The decade after the Super League war provides the first signs
of Australia’s introverted view towards international football.
They played 49 Tests, however over half of them were against
neighbours New Zealand (25), Papua New Guinea (two), Fiji (one) and
Samoa (one). They played their final 15 Tests against Great
Britain, while former international heavyweights France met
Australia twice. Australia met England, Wales and Russia once
each.

The 2008-2017 decade saw two World Cups, which meant Australia
played 50 Tests. 24 of those were against the Kiwi’s, 11 were
against England, 4 v Fiji, while France, Papua New Guinea and Samoa
played Australia twice. Wales, Ireland, Lebanon, Scotland and The
USA all played Australia once.

Outside of the World Cup, the NRL era (since 1998) has seen
Australia play 76 Tests, 45 of which have been against New Zealand,
15 against Great Britain and seven v England, three v France and
three v Papua New Guinea. Just three tests by Australia in the last
20 years have been against other nations (Wales, Samoa and Scotland
played one Test each)

Australia’s decision to focus largely on playing its neighbours,
coupled with the influx of players from these countries competing
at the elite level in the NRL, has seen these nations all improve
markedly in the last 20 years. This has come at a cost though,
because the Northern Hemisphere has suffered, none more than
France.

In the 23 years since 1995, Australia has played just four Tests
against France. In the 12 years from 1938-49, they played France
four times, and that period saw a World War and the game deleted in
France. No such barriers existed at any time between 1995 and
2017.

It’s time that Australia and New Zealand scale back the number
of Tests the play against each other and focus on strengthening the
game in France, Europe, The Americas and the Pacific. The more
nations that close the gap on Australia, the more nations we have
available to spread, strengthen and grow the game.